Only someone not on the minimum wage would say such a thing. Raising the minimum wage matters, a HELL of a lot, to EVERYONE on it. And all those people are poor. It's the simplest easiest way to begin to address the income inequality problem.About minimum wage, it doesn't really help too much.
It really isn't that simple. By raising the minimum wage, the power remains in employer's hands. A basic income is a far better option, it helps the poor immensely and will not make employers higher less or outsource more. We just passed a $600 billion military spending increase. If that were a basic income, it would be $2000 per person equivalent to $1/hr min wage increase.
an excellent point. The problem is not the amount of money required, but the current distribution and small minded view that a person's worth is defined solely by their bodies and how well they can exchange their labour for wages in a time when jobs are disappearing at an ever escalating rate.